As the nights get longer in northern latitudes use of the internet tends to increase. Our reader numbers are currently some 3008 a day, sometimes a little higher sometimes lower.
The verse is the main attraction, in particular, “The White Man’s Buden”, Kipling’s injunction to the United States to play its part in policing the world, and “Mandalay”, his joyous song of delight in the magic of the East. Other popular poems include “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”, “I keep six honest serving men“, “The Way through the woods“, and “The Ballad of East and West”.
Daniel Hadas of King’s College London has recently undertaken a review of our notes on Kipling’s verse in the New Readers’ Guide. He has made many useful additions, including notes on a number of previously unidentified biblical echoes from the Old and New Testaments.
This work has involved reading and re-reading some nine hundred and fifty collected and uncollected poems. Reflecting on this and earlier reading he has written an essay for us on his personal assessment of Kipling’s poetry, which we have published as one of the ‘General Articles’ in the Guide.
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[J.R.]